BUMAX® A BUFAB GROUP BRAND
Bumax is Bufab’s registered trademark, known as the
strongest stainless steel fastener in the world.
Bumax is manufactured in Bufab’s own plants in Sweden and meets
the requirements of high demanding customers when it comes to
quality, corrosion resistance, high strength, fatigue strength, traceability and heat resistance. We deliver safety and reliability.
Some of the products in the Bumax family are completely unique
that cannot be found anywhere else on the market. All products
have full traceability (3.1 certificates available for each item) and are
sourced solely from premium European stainless steel manufacturers
according to rigid specifications.
INTRODUCTION to Duplex Stainless Steel
Duplex Stainless Steel, also known as Ferrite-Austenitic Stainless Steel,
is a family of stainless steel that have two-phase microstructure
containing Ferrite and Austenite. The picture to the right shows the
austenitic grains embedded in a ferritic phase. It is important that the
mix of ferritic and austenitic phase is roughly 50/50, a too high content
of any structure can lead to reduced corrosion resistance and mechanical
properties.
Fig 1. Duplex stainless
steels have a two-phase
microstructure of austenite
and ferrite grains.
Duplex stainless steel offers many attractive properties:
Strength: Dual phase prevents grain growth during annealing and a much higher strength can be achieved after strain hardening compared to
ordinary austenitic stainless steel.
Ductility: Duplex stainless steels are unique in its kind of combining super high strength with excellent ductility and elongation. Even at very high
strength levels such as 12.9, Duplex stainless steel is equally good or has better elongation than A4-80.
Fatigue resistance: Duplex microstructure together with low inclusion content, excellent strength and ductility results in superior fatigue resistance.
Corrosion resistance: Depending on Duplex grade, ranging from grades equivalent to A2/A4 to highly resistant austenitic stainless steel and Nickel
base alloys.
Thermal expansion: Duplex stainless has lower expansion in elevated temperature than an austenitic stainless steel. The coefficient of thermal
expansion is approximately 25% lower because of the ferrite phase in Duplex stainless steel.
Nickel price stability: Duplex stainless steels have generally lower nickel and molybdenum contents than their austenitic counterparts of similar
corrosion resistance. Due to the lower alloying content, Duplex stainless steels can offer lower alloy surcharge and better price stability over time.
APPLICATIONS
Bumax Duplex fasteners are used in many demanding applications that require better corrosion resistance and mechanical properties than Bumax
88/109 (316L, A4).
High alloyed Duplex grades such as Bumax SDX and Bumax HDX are mainly used in the oil/gas, chemical, pulp and paper industries, subsea or other
types of applications that are working in tough corrosive environments.
Bumax LDX is mainly used in applications that require similar corrosion resistance as A2/A4, but where it is beneficial with higher strength and better
fatigue resistance. Typical applications are large construction projects such as bridges, wind turbines and storage tanks.
BUMAX FASTENERS
BUMAX DUPLEX GRADES
Duplex Stainless Steel fasteners are widely used for critical applications that demands a combination of excellent corrosion resistance and high
strength. The material has very high strength, even in annealed condition, and is therefore difficult to cold form. That is the reason why nearly all
Duplex fasteners up till now has either been machined or hot forged. What makes Bumax Duplex grades unique is our production process that offers
many advantages compared to machined or hot forged Duplex fasteners, such as:
• Higher strength and better fatigue resistance due to our special Bumax production process. Duplex fasteners are offered in strength
class 80, 8.8, 10.9 or 12.9, depending on customer demands. Machined fasteners have only the same strength as the procured annealed
bar and can therefore not be produced in higher strength class than 8.8.
• All Bumax Duplex fasteners are thread rolled. Thread rolling induces compressive stresses and thereby higher surface hardness and
improved fatigue resistance. Cut threads have the disadvantage of sharp edges and not a proper grain flow, which can affect galling and
fatigue life length.
• Super Duplex and Hyper Duplex are very sensitive to all forms of high temperature processes. Structural changes can occur in Duplex
stainless steel at temperatures that exceeds 600°C, a temperature that is exceed in hot forged duplex production. Formation of intermetallic phase or non-balanced microstructure with too high ferrite content is very critical as it will reduce corrosion resistance and
decrease ductility which can lead to fractures. Bumax Duplex fasteners and bar turned bolts are not affected as they are produced in much
lower temperature.
Bumax offers a complete product range of Duplex fasteners, from Lean Duplex to Hyper Duplex stainless steel.
Bumax Lean Duplex (LDX) offers an economical solution for high strength fasteners in medium corrosive environments. Bumax LDX is not a stock
item but we can offer competitive prices on large volume orders.
Bumax Duplex (DX) is characterized by excellent strength, ductility and fatigue resistance in combination with good general crevice, pitting and
stress corrosion properties. Bumax DX is a non-stock product.
Bumax Super Duplex (SDX) is characterised by excellent mechanical properties and very good corrosion resistance. Excellent resistance to general
crevice, pitting and stress corrosion in chloride bearing medias. Most common fastener types and dimensions of Bumax SDX in strength class 10.9 are
stock product.
Bumax Hyper Duplex (HDX), a groundbreaking alloy used in the most demanding applications. Suited for use in severe corrosive environments
such as hot chlorinated sea-water and for aggressive acidic chloride containing media in chemical, oil/gas, marine and petrochemical industry. Bumax
HDX is a non-stock item but can be manufactured on request to a maximum dimension of M8.
Table 1. Difference in chemical composition
Grade
UNS
Chemical composition, weight-%
Cr
Ni
Mo
Other
PRE1)
M 0.22, Mn 5
26
Bumax LDX
1.4162
S32101
21.5
1.5
0.3
Bumax DX
1.4462
S31803,S32205
22
5.2
3.2
Bumax SDX
1.4410
S32750
25
7
4
S32707
27
6.5
4.8
Bumax HDX
1)
EN
1.4658
PRE = %Cr + 3.3x%Mo + 16x%N
CORROSION RESISTANCE
Duplex Stainless Steel offers very good resistance to general and pitting
corrosion due to the high content of chromium, nitrogen and molybdenum.
The Duplex microstructure itself gives high resistance to stress corrosion
cracking.
Bumax Duplex grades exhibits great corrosion resistance, ranging from
Bumax LDX that has approximately the same corrosion resistance as A4
(ASTM 316) to Bumax SDX and HDX that can substitute very expensive
nickel base alloys or even Titanium in some environments. The Pitting
Resistance Equivalent number, PRE is based on a well-known formula and
gives a good indication of the pitting and crevice corrosion resistance as a
function of the alloying content. The higher PRE number, the more resistant
is the steel against pitting corrosion in seawater and chloride induced
corrosion.
36
42
Co
49
BUMAX FASTENERS
Table 2. Corrosion guideline
Condition
Bumax LDX
A4
Bumax DX
Bumax SDX
Bumax HDX
Saltwater
Hydrochloric acid, HCl
1% at 50°C
2% at 50°C
3% at 50°C
Nitric acid, HNO3
65% at 70°C
65% at 90°C
Suplhuric acid, H2SO4
1% at 50°C
10% at 50°C
30% at 50°C
No risk of corrosion under normal conditions Possible risk of corrosion, but the steel grade might be suitable depending on requirement, environment, design and maintenance
Not suitable, corrosion is likely to occur
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
Bumax Duplex grades can be offered in different strength classes depending on customer request, dimension and fastener type. Table 3 shows
the Bumax Duplex grades dimension range and mechanical properties.
Bufab can also offer bar turned Super Duplex fasteners with complex
geometry and dimension larger than M30. Machined Super Duplex
grades have lower strength and can be offered in strength class 80, 8.8
or according to a specific standard such as NORSOK or NACE0175.
Bumax Super Duplex (SDX) fastener in strength class 10.9 is held in
stock, visit www.bumax.se for information regarding stock product range.
Table 3. Bumax Duplex grades dimension range and strength class
Product
Bumax LDX
Bumax DX
Bumax SDX
Bumax HDX
1)
Strength
Class
Dimension, mm
Tensile strength Rm, min
10.9
M8 – M30
1000
12.9
On request
10.9
Yield strength Rp0.2, min
MPa
psi
145 000
900
130 500
1200
174 000
1080
156 500
M3 – M30
1000
145 000
900
130 500
12.9
On request
1200
174 000
1080
156 500
10.9
M3 – M30
1000
145 000
900
130 500
12.9
On request
1200
174 000
1080
156 500
12.9
M3 – M8
1200
174 000
1080
156 500
According to ISO 3506
psi
MPa
Elongation,
min 1)
0.4 d
0.4 d
0.4 d
0.3 d
Bumax Duplex fasteners are always coated with our special tailor made wax, suitable for duplex fasteners and guarantees low friction and
minimizing
the risk of galling. Recommended preload and tightening torque data can be found at www.bumax.se
FATIGUE RESISTANCE
Fatigue fracture occurs when a fastener is subjected to repeat cyclic
loading. Even maximum stresses below the materials yield point can lead
to the formation of microscopic cracks that eventually lead to a failure.
The starting point of a fatigue fracture is often stress concentration in
inclusions, slags or surface defects.
It is well known that Duplex grades exhibits extraordinary fatigue resistance, far better than any standard austenitic fastener such as A2, A4
etc. The reasons for the high fatigue resistance on Bumax Duplex grades
are:
• High strength fasteners with compressive stresses due to
thread rolling
• Excellent elongation
• Low amount of inclusions
• Dual phase that prevent crack propagation
BUMAX FASTENERS
Table 4. Cycles before fracture at various stress levels. Test stopped at 10 million cycles.
Stress, MPa
400±50
400±50
400±55
400±55
400±60
400±60
400±70
400±70
400±80
400±80
400±85
400±85
400±90
400±90
400±95
400±95
Bufab is one of a few fastening companies that actually
has tested the fatigue strength of Duplex fasteners and
compared it with austenitic stainless steel fasteners.
Fatigue testing has been performed on Bumax DX,
Bumax 88 and competitor A4-80 material at an external laboratory up to 10 million cycles. Table 4 shows
testing result from longitudinal fatigue loading on
M6x50 ISO 4017 bolts, Wöhler curve (S-N curve) can
be received on request. The bolts were pre-stressed
to 400 MPa, which is the stress obtained on a typical
preloading of M6 class 80 bolts.
Cycles before fracture
Bumax DX
Bumax 88
A4-80
10 million
10 million
10 million
10 million
10 million
10 million
10 million
10 million
10 million
10 million
10 million
2.6 million
5.1 million
0.6 million
0.4 million
0.3 million
10 million
10 million
10 million
10 million
4.2 million
5.6 million
1.9 million
1.8 million
0.7 million
0.4 million
10 million
1.4 million
0.4 million
0.4 million
0.5 million
0.3 million
QUALITY AND ENVIRONMENT
The majority of our fasteners are manufactured using our unique processes in our own facilities in Sweden where stainless fasteners have been
made since 1926. The BUMAX process gives a superior product with
increased strength, grain flow and improved fatigue resistance.
Raw material is sourced from premium suppliers in Europe with rigid
specifications regarding chemical composition with low content of trace
elements as well as low inclusion and slag content. All our products are
delivered with full traceability and 3.1 certificate.
STOCK
We keep Bumax SDX stock in strength class 10.9 on the most common types of screws, nuts and washers. Contact your local Bumax sales representative or visit www.bumax.se for more information.
SERVICE
Bumax Duplex products are manufactured in our own factories and we
can therefore keep a very high service level on these products. Thanks to
our own manufacturing, we can offer sizes other than those presented
in our stock range enabling us to produce ”special” products according
to each customer needs. We can produce products having even higher
strength than the ones presented in this brochure. In these cases, it is the
limitations on the steel itself deciding how far we can reach in terms of
strength and other properties. We are continuously working on improving
the properties of our products.
Marking
The Bumax SDX fasteners held in stock consisting of hexagon head screws, hexagon socket
screws, nuts and washers are marked.
We also have the possibility of individual marking or according to special customer requests.
Packing
Our products are packed in high quality sturdy
boxes and are marked according to a colour
coded system. We guarantee full traceability
for all our products in unbroken boxes. On our
labels all data for full traceability is given.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this data sheet is for guidance only and
summarizes Bufab best knowledge and considered accurate as of the version date.
Since the use of Bumax products is not within the control of Bufab it is the user’s
obligation to determine the suitability of the product for its intended application and
assumes all risk and liability for its safe use.
Phone: +46 (0)585-521 00
Fax: +46 (0)585-521 15
www.bumax.se
[email protected]
BUMAX® A BUFAB GROUP BRAND
Bumax Duplex datasheet (1.0)